Are the pre-fabbed blades a waste of money?

O

Ohioan614

Joined
Jan 31, 2015
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I am just finding out that there these pre-made things. I am highly intrigued by the damascus ones. Are there any worth the money? This would be my first attempt to put one together. Sorry if this is the worng place or the quentisental boob question.
 
Not a boob question but one that deserves the classic lawyer answer of "it depends":D I would probably trust stuff like the blades that Jantz sells, but I would be REALLY careful about the cheap damascus that you see on Ebay and such. Alabama Damascus is probably about as "cheap" as I would go because it is an established company with a fairly long track record and some kind of warranty on their product.
 
Hey, I'm a boob too! And a noob! Short answer... "depends on who you buy them from, and what they are made of". I'm betting that's what most people will say as well. Unfortunately I can't say who makes good blanks and who doesn't, it's above my pay scale I'm afraid! I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will chime in shortly!
 
Well, I bought this one a little while back:
http://usaknifemaker.com/kit-knives...-blade-blank-9-ladder-pattern-1095-15n20.html

It's not bad, but the plunge line on one side is about 2mm further back then the other, and if you look down the spine you can see it tapers off pretty heavy to one side rather then being even, the edge was chipped pretty bad too when it arrived. I was a little disappointed honestly, I could have made it cleaner then that.
 
I've been curious about this myself. I just bought two Damascus blades on ebay, one is an 8" dagger for $20 and another single edge for $15. The grind and polish work needs to be redone, which means I'll have to re-etch them also. I've been working towards a home based lapidary for the last several years planning on making jewelry at home, but I've always wanted to try making knives. I have gathered quite a good selection of agates, jaspers, and such. We all need to start somewhere, so being able to buy a Damascus blade for less than $50 will enable us beginners to make some knives that we might just be able to sell and break even. I think we need a new section for us beginners that will point us to places to purchase the "bits and pieces" as we learn without going broke.
 
Pistol_Ridge said:
I've been curious about this myself. I just bought two Damascus blades on ebay, one is an 8" dagger for $20 and another single edge for $15. The grind and polish work needs to be redone, which means I'll have to re-etch them also. I've been working towards a home based lapidary for the last several years planning on making jewelry at home, but I've always wanted to try making knives. I have gathered quite a good selection of agates, jaspers, and such. We all need to start somewhere, so being able to buy a Damascus blade for less than $50 will enable us beginners to make some knives that we might just be able to sell and break even. I think we need a new section for us beginners that will point us to places to purchase the "bits and pieces" as we learn without going broke.
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Esp on Ebay, You get what you pay for. Don't be surprised if the blades don't hold an edge.
 
Pistol_Ridge said:
I've been curious about this myself. I just bought two Damascus blades on ebay, one is an 8" dagger for $20 and another single edge for $15. The grind and polish work needs to be redone, which means I'll have to re-etch them also. I've been working towards a home based lapidary for the last several years planning on making jewelry at home, but I've always wanted to try making knives. I have gathered quite a good selection of agates, jaspers, and such. We all need to start somewhere, so being able to buy a Damascus blade for less than $50 will enable us beginners to make some knives that we might just be able to sell and break even. I think we need a new section for us beginners that will point us to places to purchase the "bits and pieces" as we learn without going broke.
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I bought some Damascus billets off of ebay, and paid more than you did for your blades. I did about 10 heat treat experiments at different temps, and even tried brine quenches. I never hit Rc60, as quenched. Wall hangers only. The damascus looks good, so I am using it for bolsters and guards.
 
Greeting,

Pre-fab or "Production blades" are just that. I use quite a few production blades for my knives. The vendor has to disclose details on the steel, if it's imported or US made. I've found a couple places that have some quality products, Jantz is one of them. They own the forging business and have produced some really great steel. I'm partial to D2... and theirs is really well hardened and tempered. BUT they are expensive $40+/-, and you'll have a very hard time changing the design or drilling holes. If this is ok with you then go for it.

The cost of the equipment to harden and temper can get costly. One a closing note... Hardening and tempering steel CORRECTLY is a very exact science, I tend to leave the that stuff to the folks with in the white coats...

Stay away from the cheap imported stuff... Damascus especially...
also steel from Japan is pretty good.

The bottom line is get out in the shop... and do something with your hands... Knife making is an ART, same as painting or sculpting...

Thanks
hagatha
 
I used some premade blades when I first got started. It's a good way to work on handle making before diving full into knife making.
I used cryo treated stainless kitchen knives from Texas Knife Supply that have all held up great.
I also used some Damascus blanks from Alabama Damascus and Two Fingers Knives on eBay. They're not exactly cheap but they're made in the USA and good quality.
 
I've bought blanks from custom makers for in the $30 to $50 range. Which are better than the ones on fleabay I'm sure. I also bought a few from two finger knives on eBay. The Damascus ones. I liked their patterns and their quality is pretty good. Putting scales on is pretty fun and a good way to ease in to knives. You need limited tools and can have a knife to play with for under a hundred bucks
 
No, "pre-fabbed" blades are usually not a waste of money.

There are many sources that sell good-quality blades, fully-ground, HT'ed, buffed and ready to put handles on and sheaths around. Such blades are not the absolute best available, but they're generally equal, and often superior to the ready-made knives you can buy at large discount/department stores.

Like many knifemakers, I started out using factory blades like that (as well as modding other production knives.) It's a very cost-efficient and rewarding way to get started as a hobbyist; especially if you just want to put together a few decent knives for you and your friends/family, for your own use and enjoyment. :thumbup:

The main thing to watch out for, is whether or not the company selling them is clear and precise about what kind of steel they're made of. If they're not completely open about that... pass. That goes double for anything they call "Damascus".
 
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